From an actor to a ‘passionate’ marketer: Mayoori Kango's journey to Google

Mayoori Kango, who shot to fame with Mahesh Bhatt's 1996 directorial 'Papa Kehte Hai', though no longer in the showbiz industry, is making her mark in the IT industry.

How you ask? She has been working as the Head of Industry at Google India for more than five years now.

Mayoori Kango's journey from actor to marketer

Born to a theatre artist mother and a politician father in Aurangabad, Mayoori is her parents' only daughter. It was when she came to Mumbai for her mother's shoot that she met director Saeed Akhtar Mirza.

According to IMDb, Kango's talent were quickly recognized by Mirza, who offered her the role of the female protagonist in his 1995 film, Naseem. The film was based on the Babri Masjid demolition. Initially, she cited her HSC board exams and declined the offer but, after holding a few discussions with the director, she agreed to play the part.

Impressed by her performance in Naseem, director Mahesh Bhatt offered the lead role in his next film, Papa Kehte Hai. Though neither a commercial or critical success, Kango's acting in the movie garnered a lot of appreciation.

Later, she acted in several films like Betaabi, 1997, Hogi Pyaar Ki Jeet, 1999, and Badal, 2000. For a while, Kango reportedly tried her hands at southern language film industry. She worked with Telugu film star Mahesh Babu in Vamsi (2000), a film which also starred the latter's now wife, Namrata Shirodkar.

Kango also ventured into television, appearing in TV series like Dollar Bahu (2001), Nargis, Thoda Gham Thodi Khushi, and Karishma: The Miracles of Destiny (2003), where she played the role of Karishma Kapoor's daughter, IMDb's profile of Kango reads.

After getting married to Aditya Dhillon in 2003, Mayoori Kango quit the showbiz industry and moved to the United States.

After moving to the States, between 2005 and 2007, Kango did her Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in marketing and finance from the Baruch College in New York City.

According to a DNA India report, she in fact had earlier gotten through the IIT entrance exam, getting selected at the IIT Kanpur campus. However, she did not go forward with it as she wanted to focus on her acting career.

After her MBA, in 2007, she began working with an American company called 360i as an associate media manager, her LinkedIn shows.

Then in February 2009 she joined 'Resolution Media', another New York-based advertising service provider as a supervisor.

Between June 2010 and July 2012, she worked as an Associate Director (Media) at Digitas, a networked experience agency based in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 2012, Kango returned to India. Soon after, she joined Zenith, an ROI agency, as the Chief Digital Officer and completed a stint of five years there.

In 2016, the former actress joined Performics, a performance marketing agency, as the Managing Director. She worked there for nearly 3 years, leaving the company in March 2019.

Right after her exit from the company, Kango marked her entry into Google. She joined the tech giant as the 'Head of Industry - agency partnership', a position she held till August 2024. At present she is Google India's Industry Head for AI, Martech and Media Solutions @MPT, her LinkedIn says.

In her LinkedIn profile, Kango has described herself as a "passionate marketer".

"I love everything about digital media and the possibilities its contains to marketing in the new world. I am always looking to learn new things and face new challenges. My primary objective is to be an informed marketer in order to provide the best business solutions to my clients and company," she has written in the 'About' section of her profile.

From a passionate actress to a passionate marketer, Kango has undertaken a remarkable professional journey.